April 12, 2025 – The final round of the 1st Cadet League West was played, where the young chess players from Pula secured their place in the Finals of the Cadet Leagues, which will be held in December. Here, we bring a brief overview of the results along with a commentary by Luka Karlović, who achieved outstanding success in the mentioned tournament.
The team that played consisted of following players in boards order:
1. Andrej Stojković
2. Luka Karlović
3. Carlo Ban
4. Juraj Kvaternik
Results of the 1st Cadet League West
The mentioned team managed to win 2nd place, thus earning a spot in the Croatian Finals of the Cadet Leagues. Besides the team success, the cadets also received individual prizes.
Luka Karlović was the most successful player of the tournament with 6.5/7 points, and was also awarded a gold medal as the best second board player.
Rezultat Andreja Stojkovića scored 5/7 points, earning him second place among first-board players.
Juraj Kvaternik with 4.5/7 points finished third among fourth-board players.
Luka Karlović’s Reflection on the Tournament
In a conversation with the tournament’s top player, Luka Karlović, currently 11 years old, we found out how the young chess players from Pula experienced this competition. He shared their feelings during the tournament in his own words:
“We didn’t even think we’d end up second. Before the last round, we were third behind Krk and Crikvenica. We knew that if Krk and Crikvenica managed to draw, we had to beat Poreč with a perfect score. Tough. Very tough.” With a slight pause and a wide smile, he continued: “I don’t even know how, but we did it. We overtook Krk by half a point and finished second.”
In the final round, Krk and Crikvenica drew 2:2, while Pula defeated Poreč 4:0.
Reflecting on the team’s performance throughout the league, Luka said: “It could have been better. We all could have played better. I feel really bad for Carlo. He had good positions where he couldn’t quite show everything he knows.“
Regarding his individual performance, he continued in a relaxed tone:
“I feel pretty cool. I wish it had been seven out of seven.”
Luka had already achieved excellent results prior to this tournament. In the past six months, he increased his classical chess rating by over 300 points, and his notable success last year — drawing against top grandmasters during the opening of SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia while shaking hands with Firouzja — did not go unnoticed.
Within the chess club, he has already earned the nickname Luka Bazooka, to which Luka responds:
“I don’t even know who gave me that, but I like it.”
Upcoming Challenges for ŠK Pula Cadets
Many events are upon the young ones before the Finals of the Cadet Leagues. Luka mentioned that he and Andrej are preparing with the help of their coaches Darko Dimitrijević and Veselin Ilić for the upcoming individual national championships in classical, blitz, and rapid formats. Additionally, Luka is registered for the U12 national team for the European Youth Team Chess Championship in Terme Čatež, which will take place from July 4th to July 12th, and he would also like to participate in the Individual European Championship in Montenegro this year.
Regarding the Cadet League Finals, he is confident that the team will become even stronger by then, boldly stating:
“We could be in the top 5.”
Until December, the cadets will continue, as before, to enjoy chess challenges with lots of smiles and love, discover new horizons, and sharpen their path toward even higher peaks. With the support of their families and the entire club, which closely follows the performances of the young hopes of Pula’s chess scene, these players are sure to show growth and even greater strength as time goes on.
